


Little Alex Mercer Gets A Kiss On The Docks

by Random_Nerd3



Series: Sunset Curve Likes To Spend Too Much Time On The Docks For Some Fucking Reason [4]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 2020 fic, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, First Kisses, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Religious Conflict, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, alex is a simp, change my mind, fear me, gays being gays, i have plans now, i wrote this in ten minutes, idk how to tag, it is canon, it's fine, no beta I die eating hot dogs, post-death, these boys are so gay for each other, this will be the softest fic in this series, uhh, willex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28634622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random_Nerd3/pseuds/Random_Nerd3
Summary: While dealing with the sudden changes of the afterlife Alex poofs to the docks to figure some things out... and then suddenly someone starts talking to him... and then suddenly he ends up getting a ghost boyfriend, and the drumming in his head disappears in the light of Willie's laughter and smile.
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: Sunset Curve Likes To Spend Too Much Time On The Docks For Some Fucking Reason [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097222
Comments: 1
Kudos: 83





	Little Alex Mercer Gets A Kiss On The Docks

**Author's Note:**

> was i expecting to post more than once today?
> 
> no
> 
> am i doing it anyway?
> 
> yes

They were dead. They were dead and it’s been  _ twenty five years _ since the day they were meant to turn into legends. Alex thinks it’s a cruel twist of fate, them dying after the damned soundcheck. Them dying because they  _ ate bad hot dogs _ . Dying was a really, really big change. Alex doesn’t like big changes. Because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen. He doesn’t know why they came back as ghosts or who the Julie chick was. All he knew was that Luke was so painfully enraptured by the girl, and Reggie was spending all of his free time hanging out with her dad, that Alex fell through the cracks.

He hates big changes.

So he takes out of Luke's book, and when things during a quiet rehearsal get too intense Alex runs away to hide out on the pier.

Luke had a crush on Julie and Alex’s brain was still trying to process the fact that they were dead.  _ Dead _ dead. Spending the past twenty five years crying in a dark room with only the drumming of the thundering storm inside his mind to keep him company.

He can’t help but start pacing, his fingers twiddling together hidden away in the pocket of his pink sweatshirt. He takes off on the runway, walking up and down the length of the docks, the cracking of the wood shaking under the pressure of his anxiety and stress.

They were dead. It’s something so simple, something Alex used to think of as a simple concept. He grew up with Catholic parents, so he believed in what they did. He believed that God had a plan, that when you died you’d go to heaven or hell, you were a sinner or a saint… according to his parents he was a sinner. One of the worst kinds of sinners. All because he liked boys more than girls.

The drumming his head only grew louder as his breathing quickened and his chest tightened. The sound of a solid beat looming ominously over Alex’s head as the speed of his pacing picked up.

His parents were wrong, apparently. So was his pastor and his church group and the people who ran the bible study. Because they never  _ once _ talked about the possibility of coming back to life as a  _ ghost. _ An actual honest to god ghost.

Alex shivered when he accidentally walked through a few humans. It felt like taking a cold shower but he didn’t get wet… he just got the chills, despite wearing his sweatshirt under the heat of the California sun.

They were dead. Big change.

They could be seen while they play music. Big change.

Luke had a crush on a girl. Big fucking change.

Alex stopped pacing when he made his final loop and ended up at the edge of the docks, doubled over and breathing heavily. It just wasn’t fair. Why them? Why didn’t Bobby die with them? Was Bobby supposed to eat the hot dogs too? Why come back now? Why not have them come back five years after they died? Or ten years? Or six months? He plopped down onto the wood below him, resting his head against the support beam. He dangles his legs, loses a shoe to the waves but he doesn’t exactly care cause five minutes later it poofs back onto his foot brand new. Well, not new but looking like it did before it fell into the ocean.  _ Okay, so teleporting clothes...  _ Alex thought with an exhausted sigh. He wrapped his arm around the pole to help keep him in place when a strong gust of wind blew through the air spraying saltwater mist around him.

“You look like you’ve had worse days,” a voice says, the person’s shadow blocking the sunlight as he sits down next to him. “You look cute, sucks you probably can’t hear me then. Hey - wanna watch me do a flip into the ocean?” He asks, and his voice cuts through the sound of the drums in Alex’s head. This person… he seems different from everyone else. Alex’s hands stop shaking and his breathing is significantly easier to control. “Yeah I don’t know much about how to do a flip. I could probably figure out how to do one on my board though!” He says and Alex turns his head to look at him and -  _ holy shit this boy is cute, _ Alex thinks. Alex opens his mouth to talk but all that comes out is an unintelligible,

“Uhhh…” and then Alex blushes furiously and he’s certain his ears are red as he turns away from the boy, staring at the water underneath them.

“Wait,” the boy says, poking Alex’s cheek almost like he’s checking to see if he’s really there. “You can hear me?” He asks, and when Alex looks back at him he’s got the most adorable hopeful look on his face. Like he’s finally excited to meet a new friend. Alex shrugs,

“Why wouldn’t I be able to hear you?” He asks, finding it easy to talk and easy to breathe. Something about him, this stranger, just made Alex feel…  _ alive _ again. Even though that was impossible… right? The boy gapes at him in disbelief.

“I’m dead.” He says, his voice falling flat with a little bit of a suspicious tone to it. Alex hesitates then scoots a little bit closer to him.

“Me too.”

“Skated into traffic saving a little girl named Rose,” the boy says in an explanation.  _ Well at least he died doing something cool, _ Alex thought before letting out a chuckle.

“Yeah well we died eating hot dogs,” he says, suddenly realizing just how close they were sitting to each other. It was like… the closer Alex sat to this new ghost boy the drumming in his head faded away, a distant memory from his past. The boy laughed and Alex knew he was going to want to hear that sound whenever he had the chance too so he says, “they were street dogs too, battery acid probably,” and the boy laughs again, doubling over as a fit of giggles overtakes him. He almost makes himself fall off the edge of the docks but Alex catches the back of his shirt and pulls him back, the shock of being able to touch someone other than the band wears off when he realizes he’s practically straddling his new friend. Alex shifts to climb off him but the boy hooks his arms around Alex’s legs keeping him in place, and Alex blushes again, reaching down to brush his hand through the boy’s long soft hair.

“Sorry - sorry,” the boy apologizes as he regains his composure. “I shouldn’t be laughing,” his expression turns serious, like he’s worried Alex is going to leave him alone and never come back.

Alex never wants to leave this boy alone again.

  
“It’s alright, it’s a dumb way to die I suppose. Comical to be honest,” Alex says. He rolls off the boy’s lap but he stays close, curling up on the docks as they rest their foreheads against each other. “So… am I going to have to ask for your name? Mysterious Hot Ghost Boy Friend?” Alex asks, pulling his hand out of the boy’s hair. He smiles back at him and wraps his hand around Alex’s wrist.

“Willie,” Willie says, his voice a hushed whispers, like he’s worried he’s going to disrupt their moment.  _ Is this what Luke means when he says he has chemistry with everybody? _ Alex can’t help but wonder, lost to Willie’s kind, sparkling eyes and the thumb running gently over his knuckles. “Hot Ghost Boyfriend, huh?” Willie asks, wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously. Alex’s cheeks burn red and he shake his head furiously.

“No - no I mean boys who are friends. We just met, it would be insane to start dating without getting to know each other first,” Alex says, his words starting to spiral and he can feel his earlier anxieties coming back and then -  _ Willie kisses him _ .

The kiss is quick, chaste, their lips barely touch but Willie kisses him and his mind melts into a puddle when the skater boy reaches up to gently tug at Alex’s hair. “Wow,” Willie says, pulling away from him and Alex immediately wants to kiss him again but he knows it would be weird. Alex swallows thickly as he nods, blinking furiously as he tries to get his mind to come up with a cohesive train of thought. Willie’s hand gently cups his cheek and Alex discovers that he has soft fingers  _ and _ soft hair as his thumb traces over Alex’s jawline, only the sound of their breathing cutting through the drums banging in Alex’s head.

“The - you - I -” Alex stutters out, trying to formulate a full sentence but finding it hard too. Willie just smiles at him and kisses his forehead softly, and Alex relaxes completely. “The drums are gone…” Alex says once Willie finally pulls away from him again. Willie looks at him in confusion,

“Drums?” Willie asks, his eyebrows furrowing together. Alex nods and reaches out to tuck a loose lock of hair behind Willie’s ear.

“Came to the docks cause I was freaking out. It’s a good place to think,” Alex says softly, snuggling in closer to Willie despite being slightly uncomfortable because of the wood. He nods as he wraps his arms around Alex’s waist.

“It is,” Willie says with a nod, leaning forward slightly to rest their foreheads together. Willie kisses Alex’s nose making him blink in surprise. “You look cute when you do that,” Willie says, making Alex flush again.

“When I panic?” Alex asks teasingly. Willie shakes his head, his hair falling in front of his face.

“No, when you get all flustered. No one’s told you that before?” Willie asks, honestly sounding concerned and worried. Alex presses a kiss to Willie’s temple as he answers.

“Yeah I’ve heard it before, sometimes it’s hard to believe it though,” Alex says quietly. Willie hums in response and holds Alex close and yeah… maybe death is a big change… maybe there are more big changes about to happen that they don’t have control over… but if dying meant he got to spend more time with Willie?

Alex would eat those hot dogs a million times over just to be able to kiss him again.

As they hug each other lying on the docks Alex runs his fingers up and down Willie’s arm, stopping when he realizes there’s a tattoo on his wrist. “Hey,” Alex asks, running his thumb over it with a slight shiver. Something about it just felt… strange, off. His instincts were screaming at him to run away… “What’s this mean?” He asks, looking at the HGC tattooed into Willie’s wrist. Willie’s eyes darken slightly and they narrow, staring at the mark engraved into his skin. Then Alex’s Willie is back, his eyes soft and the small smile on his face as he leans forward to plant a kiss on the top of Alex’s head.

“Don’t worry about it Hot Dog,” Willie says with a hum. “Nothing you need to worry about.” Alex frowns slightly, like there was some sort of double meaning behind the words and he wasn’t in on the inside joke yet. “I have to go,” Willie whispers into Alex’s ear, gently kissing his earlobe. “We’ll see each other again, I like to hang out on the strip.” And with that Willie disappears, and Alex stands up with a slight blush to his cheeks and a smile on his face, and he poofs back to the studio knowing his family would be able to handle whatever other big changes the universe decides to throw at them.

Also, he had a really cute boyfriend now.

  
So you know, that’s a plus.

**Author's Note:**

> Yell at me on Tumblr: @Random-Nerd-3


End file.
